The San José shipwreck sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708. It was carrying a lot of valuable stuff like gold, silver, and emeralds. This has led to a big fight over who owns the treasure. The Colombian government, Spain, a US company, and indigenous groups all want a piece of it. They've been arguing in different courts, including one in the Hague.

The Colombian government wants to bring up the San José and put it in a museum. But others see dollar signs in the treasure, saying it could be worth up to $18 billion. On the other hand, some archaeologists think the wreck should be left alone. They see it as a historical site and a resting place for the 600 people who died when the ship sank.

The San José was attacked by the British during a war between Spain and Britain. It stayed underwater until the 1980s when a US company said they found it. Since then, many groups have said they own the treasure, like Spain, indigenous groups, and the US company. The argument over who gets the treasure and what should happen to it is still going on.

Some people doubt the treasure is worth as much as others say. There are also no clear rules about who owns shipwrecks. The United Nations has some guidelines, but not all countries follow them. For archaeologists like Juan Guillermo Martín and diver Rodrigo Pacheco Ruiz, the San José is an important piece of history that should stay where it is. They think it's more about science and history than money. The fight over the San José shows how tricky it can be to decide who owns underwater treasures and how to protect them.

Original news source: The fierce battle over the 'Holy Grail' of shipwrecks (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words in just a few sentences. Encourage them to focus on key information such as the shipwreck, the treasure, the different groups involved, and the arguments for and against retrieving the treasure.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Have students pick a word and draw it on the board while their classmates guess what the word is. This will help reinforce their understanding of the article's vocabulary.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think about and jot down their opinion on whether the treasure from the San José shipwreck should be retrieved or left untouched. Then, pair them up to discuss their thoughts. Finally, open up the discussion to the whole class, encouraging students to share their opinions and reasoning.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to come up with a catchy headline for an article about the San José shipwreck and the battle over its treasure. Encourage them to be creative and use key information from the article in their headlines.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Assign each student a different character or group mentioned in the article (e.g., Colombian government, Spain, US company, indigenous groups, archaeologists). Have students sketch a quick drawing representing their assigned character or group, without using any words. Then, have the class guess which character or group each drawing represents. This will reinforce their understanding of the different perspectives involved in the story.

The San José shipwreck sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708. It was carrying a lot of valuable stuff like gold, silver, and emeralds. This has led to a big fight over who owns the treasure. The Colombian ?, Spain, a US company, and indigenous groups all want a piece of it. They've been arguing in different ?, including one in the ?. The Colombian government wants to ? up the San José and put it in a museum. But ? see dollar signs in the treasure, saying it could be worth up to $18 billion. On the other hand, some archaeologists ? the wreck should be left alone. They see it as a historical site and a resting place for the 600 ? who died when the ship sank. The San José was attacked by the ? during a war between Spain and Britain. It stayed underwater until the 1980s when a US ? said they found it. Since then, many groups have said they own the treasure, like Spain, indigenous groups, and the US company. The argument over who gets the treasure and what should happen to it is still ? on. Some people doubt the treasure is worth as much as others say. There are also no clear ? about who owns ?. The United Nations has some guidelines, but not all ? follow them. For archaeologists like Juan Guillermo Martín and diver ? Pacheco Ruiz, the San José is an important ? of history that should stay where it is. They think it's more about ? and history than money. The fight over the San José shows how tricky it can be to decide who owns underwater treasures and how to protect them.

1. How would you feel if you found a sunken treasure like the San José shipwreck?
2. Do you think it's more important to preserve historical sites like the San José or to try to recover valuable treasures from them? Why or why not?
3. What is your opinion on who should own the treasure from the San José shipwreck?
4. Do you think the Colombian government should be able to put the San José in a museum, or should it be left untouched? Why?
5. How do you think the families of the 600 people who died when the San José sank would feel about the treasure being recovered?
6. What would you do if you were in charge of deciding the fate of the San José shipwreck?
7. Do you believe the treasure from the San José is really worth $18 billion? Why or why not?
8. How important do you think it is to follow the guidelines set by the United Nations regarding underwater treasures like shipwrecks?
9. Why do you think some people see the San José as a historical site while others see it as a potential source of money?
10. How do you think archaeologists like Juan Guillermo Martín feel about the treasure being recovered from the San José?
11. Do you think it's fair for different countries and groups to argue over who owns a shipwreck like the San José?
12. How would you feel if you were a diver exploring the San José and found the treasure?
13. Why do you think some people believe the San José should be left untouched while others want to recover the treasure?
14. What do you think should happen to the treasure from the San José if it is recovered?
15. How do you think the fight over the San José treasure could impact future discoveries of underwater treasures?

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